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Thursday, 24 July 2014

"Fukushima Plant Measures To Freeze Tunnels"
The
operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant will
take additional measures to accelerate the behind-schedule work of
freezing radiation-contaminated water in underground tunnels.

Water used to cool melted-down fuel in damaged reactors has leaked
out of reactor buildings into underground utility tunnels. The
tainted runoff, mixed with ground water, is believed to be seeping
into the ground and ending up in the sea.

The work is designed to prevent that outcome for the tainted
water. But the tunnels have yet to be fully frozen nearly 3 months
into the project.

On Wednesday, the Tokyo Electric Power Company briefed members of
the Nuclear Regulation Authority about the additional measures.

These
include installing more pipes that carry refrigerants in and out of
the tunnels and adding ice in the tunnels by late next month. TEPCO
will also use sandbags to fill sections where the pipes cannot be
installed.

Regulatory officials criticized TEPCO's original plan for being
too optimistic. Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa instructed TEPCO to take
the necessary measures quickly. He told it to prepare devices with
extra capacity and freeze the water inside the tunnels perfectly.

A separate and larger project is now underway at the plant to
freeze soil and create a wall of ice around the 4 reactor buildings.
This is to prevent groundwater from coming into the damaged buildings
and getting tainted with radioactivity.

But that work could also be delayed due to a suspension in
freezing the water in the tunnels, because part of the work areas
overlap.